Local 66 Outside Contract Vote 8-03-2006 Thursday

[CenterPointEX]

They want to give us 4.5% each year of a FOUR YEAR contract... Let me see... we make twenty three something right now... Hmmmm... a dollar a year for the next four years will get us up to twenty seven something...

and they say they will be so kind as to pick up any increases in insurance so we won't have to take three pay cuts like we did during this last contract as insurance went up?....

No per deim... I'm sure that won;t bother the travelers who will be swarming down to cash in on this genereous offer...

Let me see... Fuel has gone up at least 33% in the last couple of years... This increase has not yet fully worked it's way into the economy... Let me think... do all those 4.5 percents add up to 33 percent?

Not to mention that Lineman who are in short supply and high demand these days... all over the country are making between 35 and 40 dollars per hour...

But wait... maybe those guys are making all that money because they work harder, longer hours and do better work... NOT! I got some travel under my belt now and I know better... I used to think it was the same all over as it is in Houston... And in my travels I have seen some non Union nightmares... and the aftermath of their work... A shiny Red Truck and a spifffy shirt, and them cool pants with the strip on them atop some eighteen inch Wescos do not a lineman make... You PIke guys might wanna listen up when the organizers come around... It don't have to be the way it is... They are making the Rat Threat If'n us 66 hands don't toe the line and bow to the power...

A Four Year Contract is not in our best interest... Mark my Word! Some have said... "Well its better than nothing."... Oh... and we gotta throw in a no strike promise... Hmmmmm... Fellow LIneman of the United States... YOur two cents please?

[CenterPointEX]

Well... after a little discussion it passed... Insanity I tell you... Our last contract was a three year contract... Every time the insurance went up, our dollars per hour got cut. So we are making less per hour now than when we started... So our new raise on september 1, is 4% not of what we settled for in the last contract, but rather the amount of what we are making after our dollars per hour were lowered by the insurance increase. So basicly when this is all over, we won't still be making in ajusted dollars what we were three years ago... They bent our boys over and plugged in! They got em to agree to it by threatining to rape their sisters if'n they didn't bend over... The bussiness agent was pushing this contract hard. They got real disturbed when the discussion started swinging towards a no vote.

One issue that came up was California wages... They claim those wages were brought about politicaly... That is not quite all there is to it. California Utilities going into regulation ceased maint. operations, laid off employees, sold assets and ran the system into the ground. PG&E went bankrupt at the same time its parent company made record profits? Anyhow, you saw it on the news... California went dark/brown... The California legislature got involved because of publilc outcries... They passed a law requiring Cal. Utilities to inspect every pole and every piece of equipment every year... The first year they did it a ten year backlog of work orders was created. I worked on a truck working thru those "WCD's" they were called... They had none line folks doing some of the inspecting so some of the orders were really silly... replacing faded danger signs and stickers etc. Anyhow with a ten year back log and no lineman... Califorinia has to figure out a way to get the work done... The only solution is to lure lineman out that way with dollars... The same thing will happen in Houston... But those dip dunks swallowed that four year contract hook line an sinker... That sucks... So now if we want to make a living we will have to travel... If we had signed a oneyear contract and got out of the no strike clause, we would have a position from which to negotiate next year... But no... we got a four year contract with a no strike tacked on the end... ?

On the bright side... LIsten up all you Pike Rats... If you want to get yerself a ticket, come on down to the hall and get a white one, cause there ain't nobody else here to work you will go out right away and will be able to work yerself into a yellow ticket... Get yer ticket and come tramping with us...

[CenterPointEX]

And to think 66 hands... we will not have to negotiate again until 2011... Crimey... I'll be old and decrepid by then... or broke one...

[just say no]

any young person who wants to be a lineman in this day and age needs there head examened........go to college...

[42linehand]

This is funny, I heard a couple of weeks ago from the head of the line dept in a public utility that Lineman are in such need that we should be making well over 100,000 a year in base pay within 2 years. That doesnt seem to be the case with your contract or even mine which was just ratified. Us Union Brothers put our life on the line everyday when we go to work. I feel that we should be compensated for this and I am not talking about a 1.00 - 2.00 raise a year this does not even cover the gas increase. Especially in our trade where we are travelling all over the state to work. If we are in such a need why are we not getting paid like it. We all here about the Nurse Shortage well they are making the same money as us if not more. Which is harder, dangerous or harder to accomplish and lead the life. I dont know but I think all of us need to stick together and fight for what we deserve. I hear of atleast 1 lineman getting severely hurt on this forum once a week. We our the Countrys leader in restoring Power to the people when the lights go out. Work Safe Stay Union

[Orgnizdlbr]

This is funny, I heard a couple of weeks ago from the head of the line dept in a public utility that Lineman are in such need that we should be making well over 100,000 a year in base pay within 2 years. That doesnt seem to be the case with your contract or even mine which was just ratified. Us Union Brothers put our life on the line everyday when we go to work. I feel that we should be compensated for this and I am not talking about a 1.00 - 2.00 raise a year this does not even cover the gas increase. Especially in our trade where we are travelling all over the state to work. If we are in such a need why are we not getting paid like it. We all here about the Nurse Shortage well they are making the same money as us if not more. Which is harder, dangerous or harder to accomplish and lead the life. I dont know but I think all of us need to stick together and fight for what we deserve. I hear of atleast 1 lineman getting severely hurt on this forum once a week. We our the Countrys leader in restoring Power to the people when the lights go out. Work Safe Stay Union

Think about it, if the trade was FULLY organized and there were no non-union contractors for the utilities to go to, where do you think wages would Be?

These co.s dont care how dangerous your job is....they'll pay what they can get away with....while the Board and the CEo rake in millions....

[edski104]

twenty three an hour?? and here i thought i had it bad when i came to fla. from up north and took a hell of a hit to 26. holy ****. your right,something does need to be done about the co.passing along the cost of the insurance on to us while making a record profit. and giving all the suits huge bonuses to boot.but it's always about ****tin' on the men that makes your money. but when we walk off,there's somebody willing to do it cheaper,slower,and worse,just to keep the money rolling in. :mad:

[dbrown20]

US Linemen. BOHICA. dbrown20

[CenterPointEX]

You got a handle on it EDski... just to keep the money flowing in... After thinking about a little more, I'm thinking we have really hurt local 66 in passing this contract. One of the brothers stood up in the meeting to complaing about how we go on storm and work for straight time most of the time. He said we don't have to do that all we gotta do is drag and sign on with a local that has a sweeter deal. But in doing so we cutting the 66 work force thus creating a vacum for Rats to fill. The same thing is accomplished by the three hundred guys out of 66 who are out traveling in order to make a living while there are standing calls at home. This low wage and sucky conditions we agreed to are going to take an even bigger chunk out of our Local Union Force. We can not renegotiate again till 2011. By that time what will be left of our local? So brothers... if you are in contract negotiations, keep that in mind. The future of this Union is at stake. Do not do like we did here and sell your future down the line for short term security... It ain't worth it!

[CenterPointEX]

CenterPoint just laid off a bunch of the equivalent of Navy Chiefs... College boy managment above and below them came and went over the years but the guys of Butch Bargers caliber always stayed. They were lineman who worked their way up thru the ranks. They knew the bussiness inside and out. Now that they are gone there is no one left to stop the carnage. CenterPoint assets will be sold off lot by lot to the highest bidder the corperate raiders laughing all the way to the bank. The selling of Power Plants i.e. Texas Genco just made the New York Times. In fact the Times has started a six piece series on the down side of deregulation and the subsequient fleecing of America. I think the reporter has been here reading my posts cause he is regurgatation my posts in his series. But he has done all his homework and is filling in all the details. There is rumor of Quanta Services which owns North Houston Pole line buying CenterPoint.

[paul1703]

:( I am a little new to this site. I work for a public utility in Mass. We are currently in contract negotiations which suck cuz I am the chapter Prez. We are fighting the big fight for more money. We are trying to compare ourselves to another public utlilty comparable in size. but until I read this I thought we had it bad. Our First class Lineman make around $34.00per hour & foreman around $37.00. the company we are trying to compare ourselves to , first class around $45 & foreman around $50. You guys should've deffinitly kept fighting. Put it this way a ground man at my place makes $21.60 to start. Don't get me wrong, it does cost more to live up here. but the job is the same anywhere so I think a hefty pay raise was in order. But it won't happen if we all don't stick together

[Line Cowboy]

GOD BLESS Eddie Riddle, glad I got out of there REAL glad

[CenterPointEX]

I'm almost at the point where I think Greg Lucero has sold his soul to CenterPoint.... THe was hammering us to pass this contract... I don't understand that... He has to know it's long term effect on Local Sixty Six.

[CenterPointEX]

I heard there was a meeting last night. If anybody here went, info would be appreciated.